Windshield cleaner



Patented Dec. 18, 1928.

UNITED STATES y 1,695,326- PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK G. FOLBERTH AIVD WILLIAM M. FOLBERTH, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, AS- SIGNOBS TO TRIGO PRODUCTS CORPORATION, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, A COR- roRATIoN or NEwYomr.

WINDSHIELD CLEANER.

Application filed March 29, 1924. Serial No. 702,872.

T his invention" relates to` Windshield cleaners, and more particularly to means for connecting a cleaner element to an oscillating cleaner arm.

In the type of windshield cleaner shown in the prior patent to William-M. Folberth, Reissue No. 15,502, granted December 5, 1922, there is provided a cleaner motor having an oscillatingy shaft, a cleaner-arm connected to the shaft to oscillate therewith and a cleaner element adapted to travel over the surface of the windshield to be cleaned and connected to the cleaner arm to swing therewith through an arc of a circle having as its center, the cleaner shaft on which the arm is mounted.

An o bj ect of the invention vis the provision of means for increasing the amount of sur face over which thecleaner element travels.

angle of the cleaner element to the cleaner arm whereby the space covered by thecleaner element more closely approximates4 a rectangle. l

In the accompanying drawings, we have shown one embodiment ofthe invention. In this showing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation. of a portion of a windshield'showing the invention applied,

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of a.v

nary construction mounted in theusual windshieldframe 2. The windshield cleaner con-v sists of a` motor casing 3 which is preferably arranged on the inner side ofthe windshield, as shown. This motoi" casing is provided with a suitable actuating member (not shown) adapted to be actuated by differential pressure and is further provided with a transverse power shaft 4 connected to the actuating member by suitable means (not Shown) and extending to the opposite side of the More specifically, an object of the inven, tion is to provide means for changing thev windshield. A cleaner arm 5 is mounted in a transverse bore in the shaft and the end of the shaft4 is lprovided with a longitudinal.

bore adapted to'receive a set screw 6to retain the cleaner arm in position.

The improvement, forming the subject matter of the present invention consists o f means for connecting a cleaner element to the cleaner arm 5. As shown, we provide a' l cleaner element consisting of a ,backing strip fr' of metal or other rigid material and a iexible strip 8 of rubber or other suitable material adapted to contact with the surface of,"

lsleeve arranged `laterallyof the backing strip and extending from the rear thereof and the sleeve isprovided with a pair of spaced extensions 12 arranged on opposite sides of the backing strip. A bolt 13 passes through openings inv the extensions 12` and the backing'` strip` to secure the cleaner element inthe holder. The lower end of the cleaner'arm is f extended away vfrom the cleaner element, as r at 14, and4 is then provided with a loop 15, the f terminal 16 extending toward the cleaner element and being adapted to be received in the sleeve 11. AboveY the sleeve, the holder is provided with a pail; of guides or sto s 17.

The operation of the device is as, ollowsz- The-cleaner arm oscillates through an arcl of a circle from the full line osition shown at the left in Figure 1 of the rawings to the I dotted line position shown at the right. By

providing the connection between'the cleaner arm and the cleaner element, Iwhich permits rotation of the cleaner element about the end of the cleaner arm as an axis, and widening the lower portion 9 ofthe rubber strip, the upper end of the cleaner element is caused to swing outwardly upon 'each stroke of the cleaner arm to a position beyond the cleaner arm, as shown in Figure 1 ofthe drawings, and the outer end is swung inwardly from the position which it `would occupy-if rigidly secured to the cleaner arm. The provision of` the stops'l? which engage the lcleaner army as shown in igures 1 and 2 of the drawings, limits the swinging movement ofthe cleaner arm about the end of the cleaner vshaft as an axis. This movement may be varied by iin-1 creasing or decreasing the space between thestops.n

The construction shown is particularly adapted for use on narrow, high windshields and on street car windows wherein the lower end of the bladeV would tend to travel beyond the sides of the windshield or window when a device of the ordinary construction is emploed and an extremely long cleaner arm is use It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same,

and that various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims. i

We claimz' 1. A windshield cleaner comprising 4a cleaner arm having a U-shaped extension vertical to ksaid arm, a cleaner element, a holder for said cleaner element mounted near one end thereof and comprising a sleeve for receiving one leg of said U-shaped extension and projecting between thelegs of the latter', and spaced limit stops extending from the holder and coacting with the other legof said extension for limiting the swing movement of the cleaning element.

2. In a windshield cleaner, a cleaner arm pivoted to swing in an arc, and a cleaner element pivotally mounted adjacent its inner end on said arm for swinging in the plane of the windshield glass, said cleaner element comprising a backing stri of rigid material and a cleaning strip o iexible material adapted to contact with the surface of the windshield to be cleaned, `said cleaning strip gradually increasing in width from its inner end toward its outer end whereby its widest end will engage the windshield glass at the outer side of the path of said cleaner f element.

3. A windshield cleaner comprising a cleaner arm mounted for oscillation and having its outer end provided with an angularly extending terminal, a cleaner element consisting of` a flexible wiper -strip anda rigid.

. backing strip, a holder secured to the backing strip and comprising a sleeve extending substantially perpendicularly from the rear edge of the cleaner element for pivotally receiving said terminal, and spaced stops extending from the cleaner element on opposite sides of the cleaner arm for coacting therewith in deining the extent of relative pivotal movelment between the arm and'cleaner element.

4. A windshield cleaner comprising a cleaner arm mounted for oscillation and hav- .ing its outerend provided with an angularly extending terminal, a cleaner element consisting of a flexible wiper strip and a rigid backing strip, a holder secured to the backing strip and comprising a sleeve extending subtures.

FREDERICK G. FOLBERTH. WILLIAM M. FOLBERTH. 

